Toyota Corolla surpasses Ford Focus in 'cash for clunkers' sales

The Toyota Corolla has overtaken the Ford Focus as the top new vehicle purchased through the "cash for clunkers" program, the Department of Transportation said Wednesday.

That means foreign automakers produce five of the six top-selling vehicles, although several of those, including the Camry, are built in the United States or Canada.

The data could fuel more opposition among senators who are set to vote on an additional $2 billion for the program by the end of the week. As of Wednesday, clunker trade-ins totaled 184,304 vehicles sold and had consumed $775.2 million of the program's $1 billion budget, according to the Transportation Department.

Some Republicans have criticized the program as subsidizing sales for foreign manufacturers. To counter that, the Obama administration had touted that "cash for clunkers" buyers were choosing the Ford Focus more than any other vehicle.

Administration officials also had noted that Ford, General Motors and Chrysler accounted for 47 percent of the vehicles purchased, slightly above their U.S. market share. In the new data, that figure has dropped to 45 percent, which equals their market share.

Still, GM cars accounted for the highest percentage of "cash for clunkers" sales, with 18.7 percent, followed by Toyota, Ford, Honda and Chrysler.

And "well over half" of the vehicles produced by non-Big Three automakers were assembled in the United States, according to the Transportation Department.